“A collection of profound and epic album reviews and musical articles by former astronaut and brain surgeon, Alasdair Kennedy. Reaching levels of poetry that rival Keats and Blake, the following reviews affirm Alasdair to be a prodigy, a genius and a god whose opinion is always objectively right. He is also without a doubt the most modest man in the universe.” - Alasdair Kennedy

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Wednesday, 1 October 2014

Review of 'The Physical World' by Death From Above 1979

Anyone who was starting to fear rock n roll was dead should
check out this record. After a decade’s break, this Canadian rock duo return
with their second full-length album. The riffs are loud and infectious, soaked
in fuzz and set to groovy drum patterns (cowbell included!). The vocals
meanwhile are energetic and in-your-face. ‘Where have all the virgins gone?’ sounds
the risqué hook on the third track. There’s no pussyfooting around here
lyrically.

I haven’t listened to
the band’s much raved debut album, You’re
a Woman, I’m a Machine, so I can’t say whether Death from Above are at the
same level as they were ten years ago. However, from a first-time listener’s
perspective, this is easily one of the best rock records I’ve heard all year. The
pacing is brilliant, alternating between fast thrashy chugs, mid-tempo grooves
and several slower sludgy moments including the ballad, ‘White is Red’ (in
fact, calling it a ballad might be a bit of a stretch), and the symphonic
closing title track, ‘The Physical World’. There are lots of creative moments
peppered throughout too. The guitar squeals on ‘Gemini’ sound almost alien.

‘Crystal Ball’ and ‘Nothing Left’ are probably the weakest
tracks here and the album’s only let-downs. They lack the power and
memorability of other songs. This doesn’t take away from the fact that this is
a very solid release though and one i'll be jamming for weeks.